The present invention relates generally to windshield washer squeegee buckets commonly found at gas stations or convenience stores. More specifically, the invention includes apparatus and methods for automatically maintaining the level of windshield washer fluid within the squeegee buckets.
In recent decades, gas stations have evolved from full service gas stations having the attendant pumping gasoline to current self-service gas stations where the customer pumps their own gasoline. This has allowed service station operators to lower their costs and to expand their sales by moving toward the convenience store model, selling other items in addition to gasoline. The shift from full service to self-service and convenience store has shifted the washing of windshields from attendant to customer. The gasoline stations commonly provide a container or bucket filled with windshield washing or cleaning fluid, and a squeegee where the customer can dip the squeegee into the bucket to saturate the squeegee sponge and provide sufficient fluid to clean the windshield and other vehicle windows. It is common for a gas station or convenience store to have several windshield washing fluid squeegee buckets, usually positioned at each fuel pump, or at each cluster of fuel pumps. Squeegee buckets are discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,230,939 and 5,960,513, while windshield washing fluid dispensing systems are discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,873, all of which are herein incorporated by reference.
The squeegee sponges remove windshield washer fluid from the squeegee bucket to clean the windshields and windows, thereby depleting the windshield washer fluid supply in the squeegee bucket. The emptying of the squeegee buckets thus requires periodic replenishing of fluid. This requirement to replenish the fluid presents a problem in that the attendant must leave the cash register area to refill the buckets. Additionally, the fluid used to replenish is often obtained by opening a bottle of product from a retail shelf within the gasoline station or convenience store, creating inventory discrepancy issues. To further complicate matters, the attendant is often unable to replenish the fluid in the squeegee buckets. In some situations, the attendant is working alone, and is not allowed to leave the cash register. In other situations, there is no attendant, as the gasoline pumps are unattended for hours or even days at a time, as the pumps are entirely self-service, taking credit cards and dispensing gasoline.
The fluid squeegee buckets are thus often not replenished, leaving dissatisfied customers, as one or all buckets are empty of fluid. Even when having some fluid, the grit, road grime, and bugs are continually carried from the windshields into the squeegee bucket, with the grime and grit building up to substantially dirty the remaining fluid.
What would be desirable is a system for automatically replenishing the windshield washer fluid in the squeegee buckets, requiring much less human intervention. What would also be desirable is a system for automatically filling windshield washer squeegee buckets while allowing removal of the buckets for cleaning dirt and other foreign matter accumulated within the buckets.
The present invention provides systems and sub-systems for maintaining a prescribed level of windshield washer fluid in one or more windshield washer fluid squeegee buckets, with the fluid being fed from an elevated reservoir disposed above the squeegee buckets in some systems. The squeegee buckets can include fluid quantity sensors such as level sensors or weight sensors giving an indication of the quantity of fluid contained within the squeegee buckets. Upon reaching a prescribed low level or low quantity of fluid, systems according to the present invention cause windshield washer fluid to be added to the squeegee bucket requiring fluid.
The present invention includes a system for supplying windshield washer fluid to squeegee buckets, the system including a squeegee bucket for holding windshield washer fluid, a fluid quantity sensor operably coupled to the squeegee bucket for indicating fluid quantity in the bucket, a fluid supply conduit operably coupled to the squeegee bucket interior, a fluid supply source coupled to the fluid supply conduit, and a controller having an input coupled to the fluid quantity sensor and an output operably coupled to at least one of the fluid supply conduit and fluid supply source. The controller output can cause fluid to be supplied to the squeegee bucket through the fluid supply conduit responsive to a low quantity indication from the fluid quantity sensor. In one system, a fluid supply source includes a pump in fluid communication with both the fluid supply conduit and a fluid storage vessel. In another system, the controller output is operably coupled to a pump. In a preferred system, the fluid supply source includes a fluid reservoir coupled to the fluid supply conduit and disposed to gravity feed the squeegee bucket.
In a preferred embodiment, the system includes a valve coupled to the fluid supply conduit to allow fluid flow through the conduit in a first position and to preclude fluid flow through the conduit in a second position. The controller output can be operably coupled to open and close the valve.
In one system, the fluid quantity sensor includes a vertically slidable mounting bracket for the squeegee bucket mounted to a surface and connected directly or indirectly to a spring, such that having more fluid in the squeegee bucket causes the spring to extend, allowing the bucket to lower. In this embodiment, the controller can include a lever arm coupled directly or indirectly to the spring to move with the changed elongation of the spring. The lever arm can further be linked to a valve for supplying fluid into the squeegee bucket interior. When the combined squeegee bucket and fluid weight drops below a preset fluid quantity or weight limit, the lever arm can move to open the valve and allow fluid flow into the squeegee bucket interior. As the squeegee bucket becomes heavier, the spring can extend, moving the lever arm in the opposite direction to close the valve.
In another system, the fluid quantity sensor includes a level sensor such as a float sensor. In one embodiment, the float sensor is adapted to electrically signal a low fluid level condition, which can be used directly or indirectly to open a fluid supply valve to provide fluid into the squeegee bucket interior. In one system, the float switch electrical output is used directly to trigger a valve for a preset time period to allow a given quantity or aliquot of fluid to be dispensed into the bucket interior. In another embodiment, the float switch signal is fed to a controller, which in turn opens a valve to allow fluid to flow into the squeegee bucket interior. In yet another embodiment, the float switch output is fed to the inflow valve to open the valve until the low level condition is no longer indicated.
The system can also include fluid reservoirs mounted in an elevated position above the squeegee bucket so as to gravity feed the buckets. In one system, the reservoirs are mounted on the support columns near a gasoline pump on a service island. In another system, the reservoirs are mounted atop the canopy of a service station island. Some systems have multiple fluid reservoirs interconnected with fluid equalization conduits, allowing the level of the multiple reservoirs to be equalized, thereby allowing heavier used or smaller reservoirs to be replenished from less used or larger reservoirs.
One system utilizes a dual reservoir system including an upper reservoir open or vented to the atmosphere feeding a lower reservoir acting as a second stage siphon tank which can be closed to the atmosphere through operation of valves above and below the siphon tank. A fluid supply conduit can extend downward from the siphon tank and into a squeegee bucket, extending below the fluid level in the squeegee bucket interior. When the fluid level of the squeegee bucket drops below the lower extent of the fluid supply tube from the siphon tank, air can bubble up into the siphon tank, thereby allowing fluid from the siphon tank to drop down through the fluid supply conduit into the squeegee bucket. This can continue until the squeegee bucket fluid level is above the lower extent of the fluid supply conduit extending down from the siphon tank. After the siphon tank is low or empty, the siphon tank outflow valve can be closed and the siphon tank inflow valve opened, to allow replenishing fluid to enter from an upper reservoir or pump. The siphon tank inflow valve can then be closed and the siphon tank outflow valve opened to repeat the process.
Systems can also include controllers for controlling operation of the fluid supply at both a local and supervisory level. The controller can be used to open and close valves as well as to perform monitoring functions. Some systems utilize controllers to detect excessive fluid flow over a predetermined time interval. The excessive fluid flow may indicate leakage and/or pilferage of the washer fluid. Some systems include data output functions as part of the controller. In these systems, the system may report out fluid usage, frequency of usage, excessive fluid use alarms, as well as fluid bulk storage tank low levels indicating a need for more washer fluid. In some systems, the reservoirs used to fill the squeegee buckets are also used to supply hoses which can be used to fill the washer fluid reservoirs in automobiles.